In my opinion, anything west of the 15 is definitely in the path or progress.

I'm not super wealthy, but I do have some spoils of the trade to play with.I live in Malden, and have been educating myself to get into flips and rentals (loving BRRRR) in the area (Melrose, Medford, Malden, Everett, Saugus, Lynn, Stoneham, Reading, Woburn, etc.).I have never officially invested in real estate, but I have owned first and second homes for many moons, and they have been good to me so far.I've learned enough in my studies to know that real estate investment in this area and time is far from a no-brainer. 

As you already know there is a ton to learn and educate yourself on.

Use BP Education section to learn and educate yourself on .

In my opinion they sound like they range from "good" to "so-so".

Once you've closed and they are your problem, make an appointment and sit down with them to re-educate them as to the terms of their lease.

Hi Jared, I'm in a similar situation and I've found people on this forum to be super helpful.My opinion is when you are so new and inexperienced, it will be very difficult to find a mentor.

I'd love to hear others opinions on these areas.

I would also love not to use hard money unless someone had a strong opinion on this?

It's simply the wrong way to start off.While you've got that going on, take the time to continue educating.